Food is a human right. There’s no arguing that, but for lower income households, accessing food has become a difficult, life threatening endeavor since the beginning of the pandemic. In response to the latest quarantine variant, community pantries have been popping up all over the Metro Manila area and even farther.
In case you didn’t know, a community pantry is an open space where people donate essential goods like food items for those in need to take. No payment is required and people can just come in and take what they need. The first community pantry popped up in Maginhawa on Apr. 14, and more have followed suit.
‘MAGINHAWA COMMUNITY PANTRY’
— Inquirer (@inquirerdotnet) April 16, 2021
LOOK: Ana Patricia Non refills the ‘Maginhawa Community Pantry’ on Thursday, April 15, which she set up to help people badly affected by the pandemic who have difficulty looking for food to serve on their tables. 📷INQUIRER/GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE pic.twitter.com/TOCeWpZwhR
With billions of pesos in the government’s COVID-19 war chest to address the needs of the people during a crisis, it shouldn’t have been a problem. Yet here we are, relying on one another to make sure people have access to basic necessities.
If you’re looking for ways to help the community during this impossibly frustrating time, here are more community pantries you can help out:
